• In an effort to “send a message of inclusion to its widely diverse fan base,” the NBA champion Toronto Raptors said they are the first NBA to offer an athletic hijab for Muslim women. The Nike Pro Hijabs with the team’s logo were inspired by the Hijabi Ballers, a Toronto-based non-profit organization dedicated to "celebrating and increasing the involvement of Muslim females in sports." “Inspired by those brave enough to change the game” the team posted to its social media platforms along with a video of the Hijabi Ballers in action.

• Greenleaf Foods said it has signed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to become the first plant-based food brand to officially partner with an NFL team. As part of this partnership, Greenleaf’s Lightlife Burger will be available at Rams home games this season, beginning Sep. 15 during the team’s 2019 home opener ( agasint tthe New Orleans Saints). Lightlife plant-based protein products will also be featured in the Rams Game On! Program at Albertson’s, Vons, and Pavilions.

• The NFL and Facebook have signed a multi-year partnership extension that will “deliver more diversified NFL video content to fans worldwide through Facebook Watch,” expanding a relationship that began in 2017

The NFL will continue distributing recaps from all 256 regular season games, as well as playoff games and the Super Bowl; plus video highlights from such postseason tentpole events las the Pro Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. The NFL will also utilize Facebook Watch for distribution of an array of unique content including NFL news and analysis, Video versions of NFL-produced podcasts and classic and special NFL 100 content.

In addition, the NFL will create Facebook Groups around content themes and work to share relevant video in those groups.

• American Airlines will not renew its naming rights deal with the venue that is home to the NBA’s Miami Heat, which has been AmericanAirlines Arena since it opened in 1999 via a 20-year deal valued at $42 million, according to Miami Today. The team and Miami-Dade County executives are in “advanced talks”with another national company. American will remain the official airline for the Heat.

• Bowlero Corp,, the leading owner and operator of bowling centers in America, has acquired the Professional Bowlers Assn. which has been in operation since 1958. Bowlero said, “All scheduled tournaments and programming will continue, with plans to build upon key initiatives including the PBA's groundbreaking Fox Sports partnership.” Full story here.

• Marshawn Lynch has been named as the founded for the expansion Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League, with the team beginning play in February 2020 in Oakland (formerly Oracle) Arena. The NFL Raiders are moving from Oakland to Las Vegas beginning with the 2020 season. Full story here.

• The Paley Center for Media, NY, will honor the 100th season of the NFL with a new exhibit: "A Century of Football: Celebrating the NFL’s 100th Season," free and open to the public (Sept. 14-Oct. 27), which includes the first public screening of the only known complete broadcast of Super Bowl I (then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs

• Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, co-founders of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, have launched with The ALS Assn. the 5th anniversary of “Challenge Me” with a “new call to action to reignite the passion and generosity of the millions of people who dumped ice water on their heads in the summer of 2014.”

Entries in MLB Playoffs
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September 27, 2017:Doosan Group, an infrastructure support business company based in Seoul, South Korea, but with multibillion dollar businesses in the U.S., has signed a multi-year deal to become an official partner with MLB.

The alliance, which runs through the 2020 season, includes naming Doosan as the first presenting sponsor in American League Division Series history.

The pact, intended to raise awareness for Doosan among U.S. consumers and business people, will be supported by multi-media marketing, starting with TV spots to run during the AL and NL wild card games and then through the post-season.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Earlier this month, in what it saw as a major move to reach "millions of baseball fans," outdoor and camping retailer Camping World signed a multi-year, multi-platform deal with MLB, which named Camping World as MLB’s first presenting partner for the American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series.

MLB has not as yet named a presenting partner for the National League Division Series, but that is expected to happen.

MLB does not as yet have a presenting sponsor for the World Series.

Whether it will or not? MLB said it "can't confirm or deny."

"We’re very proud that Doosan, a great company with a rich history and a global footprint, has chosen MLB as a partner to continue growing their business here in the U.S.," Noah Garden, MLB evp-business, said in a statement. "It’s going to be another exciting post-season this year and we’re looking forward to having Doosan be a big part of it."

Doosan said its U.S. subsidiaries account for $3 billion in annual revenue and have approximately 4,000 employees in the areas of construction equipment, logistics equipment and energy.

According to MLB, as an official partner, Doosan would "receive significant brand exposure across national broadcast and MLB-owned channels throughout the 2017 post-season and upcoming seasons."

Beginning with the 2017 wild card games, Doosan TV spots and branding would air across broadcast and digital platforms including Fox, FS1, MLB Network and MLB.com.

A spot running on Doosan’s YouTube Channel for its construction company shows heavy equipment performing synchronized moves to a jazz beat, with employees wearing baseball jerseys and caps.

MLB and Doosan said they would also create custom features for MLB Network and league digital channels "showcasing how teamwork leads to winning results."

In addition, Doosan said it would give people “exclusive access to select ALDS batting practices and press conferences in real-time via Facebook Live.”

Beginning in 2018 and running through 2020, Doosan media buys would include regular-season games and such MLB jewel events as the All-Star Game, post-season and World Series.

According to Rich Goldsbury, president for Doosan Bobcat in North America and Oceania, "We are honored to be an official partner of MLB and to collaborate with our league partners to share the Doosan story and create content for baseball fans across the globe.

"We are the fastest growing infrastructure support business in the world and our partnership with a marquee property like MLB allows us to further grow our winning Doosan brand in the critical U.S. market," said Goldsbury.